|
MANILA, Mar. 8 (PNA) - President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today stood up
for the welfare of Filipino domestic helpers and said she would not
take sitting down a perceived unjust slash in the minimum pay of
foreign workers in Hong Kong.
The President sought for more time to work on countless positive
ways to decide on the issues besetting the welfare of domestic
helpers in the former British colony.
In her speech on the occasion of International Women's Day at the
jampacked Marikina City Sports Complex gym, the President cited
reports that neighboring Asian nations and government groups in Hong
Kong have been pushing for the suspension of a Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region (SAR) decision to slash the minimum wage for
foreign workers.
She asked her critics to better understand the issues before
opposing government moves to temporarily suspend the processing of
all contracts for domestic helpers bound for Hong Kong and review
existing policies on the deployment of OFWs in other problem areas
abroad.
"Many of our domestic helpers in Hong Kong expressed support for
this move. But many have also asked to lift the suspension of the
deployment of domestic helpers to Hong Kong. Kaya malaking desisyon
ang kailangan ko (I need to work on a major decision on the
matter)," she stressed.
She noted that even Indonesia, which also deploys domestic workers
to the former crown colony, had opposed the move of the Hong Kong SAR to impose a levy on new foreign labor.
"At sa Abril, baka ang Sri Lanka ay sasama sa boykot (And by April,
Sri Lanka might stop deploying their workers to Hong Kong)," she
added.
The President also informed her all-female audience that "employers
in Hong Kong are giving in and joining the domestic helpers" and
they are organizing a signature campaign in favor of maintaining the
present level of wages.
"The People,s Opportunities Commission is speaking against the levy,
a recognition that a levy, however disguised, is unfair and
discriminatory," she said.
"Kaya duon sa mga tumututol sa suspension, bigyan pa ninyo ako ng
kaunti pang pisi, dahil baka umubra ito (I am asking those against
our moves to temporarily stop the deployment of domestic helpers to
Hong Kong to give me more room to decide on the matter. The boycott
might still work)," she added.
The Philippines has Indonesia and Sri Lanka on its side. Foreign
domestic helpers also have the sympathy of Hong Kong employers and
non-government groups.
"But even if I should need to lift the suspension, and that is still
something that I have to make a decision about, I can assure you
that we will intensify our lobby to
protect the rights of our overseas Filipinas," the President said.
She said the Philippine government would bring its case before the
International Labor Organization, which incidentally is being
chaired by Labor and Employment Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas.
She added that the same case would be brought before the Hong Kong
courts. "After all, Hong Kong is a democracy."
In the domestic front, the President also ordered Secretary Sto.
Tomas "to study how to reduce what our overseas domestic helpers pay
their recruiters to make up, at least partially, for the levy that
will be imposed for those who will be hired (in Hong Kong) this
April." (PNA)
|